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How to hire a senior information technology developer

Senior information technology developer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring senior information technology developers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a senior information technology developer is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new senior information technology developer to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a senior information technology developer, step by step

To hire a senior information technology developer, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a senior information technology developer, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step senior information technology developer hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a senior information technology developer job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior information technology developer
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior information technology developer do?

Senior information technology (IT) developers are IT management professionals who are responsible for writing code and contribute to the design and implementation of software programs. These developers must collaborate with department managers to plan the layout and set up custom department sites while compiling departmental information. They must nurture a team of talented professionals to further accelerate application development, support maintenance, and product evolution. Senior IT developers must also use web services to implement automation of the business process and reduce redundancy.

Learn more about the specifics of what a senior information technology developer does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The senior information technology developer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior information technology developer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a senior information technology developer that fits the bill.

    This list shows salaries for various types of senior information technology developers.

    Type of Senior Information Technology DeveloperDescriptionHourly rate
    Senior Information Technology DeveloperSoftware developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more$40-67
    Developer/ConsultantA developer/consultant is responsible for developing system databases and applications, depending on the business' needs and clients' specifications. Developers/consultants design their services to manage optimal performance and maximize productivity for timely submission of projects, ensuring client satisfaction and loyalty... Show more$34-64
    Developer AnalystA developer analyst is a professional who is responsible for building application requirements and develops database solutions that allow operational efficiency and user-friendly tools. Developer analysts are required to develop a detailed definition of business solutions that can include database design, data flow, and transaction processing requirements... Show more$30-54
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Java
    • Software Development
    • Spring Boot
    • JavaScript
    • C++
    • Web Services
    • CSS
    • Spring Framework
    • Linux
    • XML
    • JSON
    • JQuery
    • Jenkins
    • Unix
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Develop PL/SQL scripts, procedures, and functions to help automate lengthy processes.
    • Configure and manage JGroup multicasting communication for apache tomcat web servers.
    • Develop JSP, Servlets, JavaScript, and XML, which form the UI component.
    • Involve in writing front-end codes for the web-application portal using XSLT, XSL, HTML5, XML, JavaScript and JQuery.
    • Involve in the front end development by JSP, HTML and Ajax.
    • Involve thread programming using the UNIX fork functionality.
    More senior information technology developer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the senior information technology developer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior information technology developer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a senior information technology developer in Mississippi may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior information technology developer. Additionally, a senior information technology developer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average senior information technology developer salary

    $108,906yearly

    $52.36 hourly rate

    Entry-level senior information technology developer salary
    $84,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 20, 2026

    Average senior information technology developer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$140,352$67
    2Washington$130,526$63
    3New York$122,624$59
    4Massachusetts$112,412$54
    5Maryland$112,293$54
    6Georgia$109,296$53
    7North Carolina$107,446$52
    8Minnesota$105,120$51
    9New Jersey$103,949$50
    10Michigan$102,645$49
    11Tennessee$102,608$49
    12Florida$102,067$49
    13Illinois$100,955$49
    14Arizona$99,536$48
    15Texas$98,787$47
    16Colorado$96,973$47
    17Iowa$94,679$46
    18Oklahoma$91,073$44
    19Ohio$88,245$42

    Average senior information technology developer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Zendesk$141,999$68.272
    2Barclays$135,600$65.19
    3Western Asset Management$135,429$65.11
    4VMware$134,666$64.74
    5Portland General Electric$133,762$64.3113
    6Bank of the West$133,409$64.14
    7Marathon Petroleum$131,174$63.0614
    8Tesoro$131,032$63.00
    9Dynegy$130,001$62.50
    10TIBCO Software$128,710$61.881
    11Ecolab$126,462$60.80
    12Jefferies$125,530$60.356
    13Biogen$123,071$59.175
    14Guidewire Software$122,558$58.9215
    15Zale Corporation$121,635$58.48
    16Boston Consulting Group$120,484$57.9296
    17Ashley HomeStore$120,192$57.7813
    18TD Securities$120,072$57.73
    19Academy Sports + Outdoors$119,920$57.654
    20NRG Energy$119,893$57.642
  4. Writing a senior information technology developer job description

    A job description for a senior information technology developer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior information technology developer job description:

    Senior information technology developer job description example

    Evaluates client area application systems/programming requirements and processes (e.g., new, enhancements or maintenance), prepares application program specifications, and assists in the development, testing, and implementation of efficient, cost effective application solutions. Functions as liaison or main point of contact between IS and clients (other business departments) and serves as project leader. Provides daily support of existing processes, both Oracle and others to maintain the flow of business operations successfully. Recognize opportunities for improvements in processes and work to implement those improvements.
    Responsibilities

    Duties and Responsibilities

    1. *Studies and analyzes existing business procedures as assigned.

    2. *Identifies business requirements and recommends or devises system and programming alternatives and specifications.

    3. *Prepares systems flow charts and logic diagrams to describe existing and proposed operations.

    4. * Leads and assists with the coding, debugging, and documenting of programs.

    5. *Works to resolve business issues through the effective use of both systems and data.

    6. *Understands the functional aspects of screens, data, and the general operations of the department.

    7. *Strong Oracle knowledge and ability to support all Oracle modules including Quote to Cash, Procure to Pay, CRM, SCM and Administration, including Workflow Administration.

    8. *Presents findings, recommendations, and specifications in a variety of formats and to various levels within the organization.

    9. *Meets user needs and objectives within the budget and systems constraints.

    10. *Determines project priorities, systems design, and feasibility.

    11. *Acts as a liaison or main point of contact between IS and other business departments.

    12. *Provides guidance to other Business Analysts and functions as the lead on complex projects.

    13. *Maintains/enhances technology expertise, keeping current with evolving systems analysis, programming, and database technology.

    14. *Assist with the establishment of policies and procedures pertaining to security, maintenance, and utilization.

    15. *Support backup and recovery of the database and application information through established data retention policies with Oracle OCI Provider. Assess effectiveness of periodic restore tests (development instance cloning).

    16. *Support SOX compliance controls and reporting requirements through regular review of security practices, segregation of duties, change management controls and internal audits of business practices.

    17. *Participate in periodic planning sessions with the SBS business areas, information services infrastructure, and other internal clients as required to guide direction within standards and provide thought leadership around the employment of new technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations.

    18. *Support other elements of the Information Services organization in their performance of system administration efforts in areas such as backups, disk space planning, security management, telecommunications, license management, and general infrastructure management.

    Qualifications

    Job Qualifications

    § Bachelor's degree Computer Science or a related discipline.

    § Minimum six to eight years experience in systems analysis and application program development, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Current in Oracle applications software support.

    § In-depth understanding of business processes.

    § Extensive experience with Oracle business systems.

    § Experience with Oracle Developer is a plus.

    § Must have knowledge of Unix and Windows operating systems.

    § Must know SQL and PL/SQL.

    § Experience in Java code and support.

    § Knowledge of APEX and OBIEE for Business reporting.

    § Excellent analytical ability.

    § Detail Oriented.

    § Excellent problem solving and consultative skills.

    § Excellent oral, interpersonal and written communication skills and the ability to work with clients, technical staff and vendors.

    § Excellent judgment skills.

    § Excellent planning, project management and implementation skills.

    § Demonstrated ability to provide effective peer leadership to other Business Analysts.

    § Ability to multi-task successfully.

    § Ability to travel when necessary.

    § Ability to work over as needed and provide off-hours support as required.
  5. Post your job

    To find senior information technology developers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior information technology developers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior information technology developers with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your senior information technology developer job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior information technology developer candidates.
    • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting senior information technology developers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior information technology developer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

    • TestDome
    • CodeSignal
    • Testlify
    • BarRaiser
    • Coderbyte

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior information technology developer

    Once you've selected the best senior information technology developer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    To prepare for the new senior information technology developer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a senior information technology developer?

Recruiting senior information technology developers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $108,906 per year for a senior information technology developer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for senior information technology developers in the US typically range between $40 and $67 an hour.

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